


Between Two Clowns

by TopazVulpix



Category: Batman: the dark knight, Joker (2019)
Genre: Crossover, Dream Sequence, In Memory of Heath Ledger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 06:31:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21351778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TopazVulpix/pseuds/TopazVulpix
Summary: Arthur Fleck experiences something between the ambulance accident and waking up on the hood of the cop car. A meeting between two masterminds. A passing of a torch
Relationships: Heath Ledger Joker - Relationship, Joaquin Phoenix Joker
Comments: 4
Kudos: 74





	Between Two Clowns

It was dark. Everything was dark. But he could see. He was standing. 

He’d been in the back of a cop car just now, hadn’t he? Someone had hit them. Was he dead?

“Hel-lo, mister Fleck,” came a nasally voice. Arthur turned. Nothing around him had changed. “Oh don’t worry, I’ll make a full entrance in a moment. I just wanted to make sure I...had the right man.” The voice chuckled. His cadence threw Arthur off, rapid and drawn-out at the same time. The laughter was louder on his left.

Arthur whirled to face it, and was met with a wide red smile, different than his own. The paint was caked on, old, only red black and white. The man before him was dressed in a finely tailored suit, but his hair was completely the opposite: dirty, greasy..._green._

“I’m sure you have plenty of questions, but we don’t have the time,” the man said, looking around at something Arthur couldn’t see. “I just wanted to meet my true counterpart. There have been others, but no one in a while had really sold the persona.” Dark eyes flicked to Athur’s own. “No one until you.”

The words felt like a challenge. “Who are you?” he asked, finding his voice. His mouth was wet with something. He couldn’t identify the taste.

“I’m you,” the man said, smiling wide, “Joker.”

Arthur’s eyes went wide as his brow furrowed. Impossible. The man held his hand up against any response, licking his lips before continuing.

“I’m not you, you, but you’re not entirely yourself anymore, not who you used to be, are you?”

Arthur only nodded. The wetness was building in his mouth, like he’d somehow taken a sip of something with his lips closed. He still couldn’t pick out the flavor. The man chuckled again.

“That’s right. You’re more now. You’re a symbol, a leader, whether you want it or not. You’re going to have to get better at planning, but don’t bother with the people skills. The people that are smart enough won’t get themselves shot.” Arthur shared the man’s smirk at that. Exactly. No one would just push him around anymore, not without consequences.

“You’re about to have a lot more pickles to get out of, but keep one thing in mind, Arthur.” He was drawn in by the man’s words, some supernatural force making him commit it all to memory. “You don’t decide. You act. Never give that up. Sure, plan and prepare and scheme, but never truly decide. You’ll lose the chaos...that anarchy of it all. That’s what you stand for now, you know.”

Arthur did know. The words made sense. He hadn’t planned to smother Penny or gut Randall. He’d just done it, because it had felt right, felt deserved. The man had been watching him think. Arthur was sure his face reflected the inner joy at the memories.

“Yeah, you’ve got it. I tell ya, you’re going to do _great_ things. It’ll be nice to watch you.” He was turning away, fading into the darkness again. He looked back with a sad smile.

“Good luck, Joker…”

There was blood in his mouth in his lungs. He coughed, sucking in a grateful breath of air. It was loud, too loud. There was something hard beneath him. He was laying down. The crowd, yes it was a crowd, was chanting something. **_Joker._** They were chanting for him.

He opened his eyes, taking in the sights. He was free, and he had a performance to give.

**Author's Note:**

> This is also available on my tumblr: thetopazvulpix  
Inspirations include an amazing edit found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBCKc9zQ5QQ (It's titled "Put on a Happy Face" by Alana Crane) and a headcannon list my ajokeformur-ray about Arthur's reaction to becoming joker.
> 
> Hopefully you all enjoyed it! I've never seen the dark knight in full (just clips) so I hope I did Heath's interpretation justice!


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